The decision to rubberstamp the £1.4billion plans to regenerate Croydon’s retail hub have been hailed as “the most important planning consent for a generation”.
Richard Plant, the chairman of the Develop Croydon Forum, is leading the chorus of approval for the local council’s unanimous decision to back the plans brought forward by Westfield and Hammerson, under the banner of the Croydon Partnership.
Sitting within a redeveloped core of Croydon’s former Whitgift Shopping Centre, the development will be home to more than 300 shops, restaurants, cafes and leisure facilities, plus a multi-screen cinema and bowling alley.
Around 7,000 new jobs and approaching 1,000 new homes are included in the proposals.
Mr Plant said: “This is the most important planning consent for a generation in Croydon.
“Since Develop Croydon was formed in 2010 we have been committed to promoting a collaborative approach for the greater good of the town and there can be no greater example of that than two rival retail giants, Westfield and Hammerson, reaching this stage with the support of Croydon Council, the GLA and central government.
“The creation of a world-class shopping centre will really help to put the town on the map and help to guarantee the success of the £5.25billion regeneration scheme which will transform Croydon for generations to come.
“This is more groundbreaking even than the opening of the original Whitgift Centre in the late 1960s which provided a blueprint for shopping malls around the country.”
Develop Croydon was formed in 2010 with the goal of challenging and changing perceptions of Croydon in a bid to attract much-needed inward investment to the borough.